Alternate names: Goraj [Pol], Goray [Yid], Goraj Lubelski, Gorai. 50°43' N, 22°40' E, 37 miles S of Lublin, 12 miles N of Biłgoraj. 1900 Jewish population: ~400. The Jewish House complete story: The Rosenberg Jewish House in Lublin Village Open Air Museum in Goraj is the only remaining Jewish wooden house of those that were situated around the market place of this town located 86 km south of Lublin. Other houses were burnt in September 1942 during extermination of the Jewish population. Seat of Goraj gmina (administrative district) villages with population of 1,048 : Abramów, Albinów Duży, Albinów Mały, Gilów, Hosznia Abramowska, Hosznia Ordynacka, Jędrzejówka, Kondraty, Majdan Abramowski, Średniówka, Zagrody, Zastawie [May 2009]
GORAJ I: US Commission No. AS 120
Alternate name: Goren (Yiddish). Located in Zamosc at 22º41'W 50º43'N, 59 km south from Lublin on Lublin-Przemysl highway and 40 km west from Zamosc. Cemetery location: within a local primary school. Present town population is 1,000 to 5,000 with no Jews.
- Town: Urzad Gminy (city council).
- Local: Urzad Wojewodzki (Woivodship Office), Zamosc, ul. Partyzantow 3 Sejmik Samorzadowy Wojewodztwa Zamojskiego (Local Governments' Committee of Woivodship Zamosc), Zamosc, ul. Partyzantow 3, tel. 31 34.
- Regional: Panstwowa Siuzba Ochrony Zabytkow, Wojewodzki Konserwator Zabytkow (State Preservation Authority, Conservation Officer for Woiwodship), Zamosc, ul. Staszica 29, tel. 59 71.
- Interested: Regionalny Osrodek Studiow I Ochrony Krajobrazu Kulturowego (Regional Center for the Study and Preservation of Cultural Landscape), Lublin, ul. Archidiakon'ska 4, tel 73 62 24. Urzad Wojewodzki-Wydzial Geodezji, Kartografii I Gospodarki Gruntami (Woivodship Office-Dept. of Land Survey, Cartography and Land Use), Zamosc, ul. Przemyslowa 4, tel. 26 57. Wojewodzkie Archiwum Pan'stwowe (State Archive for Woivodship) Lublin, 4 Przemyslowa St.
The earliest known Jewish community was before mid-17th century. 1921 Jewish population was 394. Jewish population, from the very beginning of town's history, has played a leading role. Masonry synagogue was erected in first half of the 17th century. In the 19th century 50% of population were Jewish. Jewish section of town burned in 1940. Jews were exterminated in 1940 to 1942. Jewish cemetery was established in the 17th century with last known Orthodox Jewish burial probably around 1850. The cemetery is not landmarked but is preserved as a local monument of Holocaust victims, area included in preserved zone. The rural hillside, separate but near other cemeteries, has a sign or plaque in the Polish language mentioning the Holocaust. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. A continuous fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the cemetery. Approximate size of cemetery before World War II:.6 ha. No stones are visible in the cemetery. The Municipality owns the property is now used for recreation. Properties adjacent are residential. It was vandalized during World War II but not in the last ten years. There has been no maintenance. Within the limits of the cemetery are no structures. Threat from uncontrolled access.
Malgorzata Radolowicz- Buzikiewicz, Florian'ska 37/3; 31-019 Krakow; phone (0-12) 215748 completed survey September 28, 1995 after a visit to the site. Documentation: PSOZ (Wojewodzki Konserwator Zabytkow) State Preservation Authority, Conservation Officer for Woiwodship. Zamosc,-"Karta cmentarza" (cemetery record card) #2665 filled out by D. Kawalko, 1990 She visited on September 28, and interviewed officers at Preservation Authorities and residents of housing near the cemetery.
GORAJ II: US Commision No. AS 121
Cemetery location: Cmentarna St., SE from Market Sq., next to Rom.-Eastath [sic] cemetery. For town information see Goraj I. Jewish cemetery was established around 1850 with last known Jewish burial 1942. This unlandmarked cemetery is preserved as a local monument of Holocaust victims, area included in preserved zone. The rural hillside, separate but near other cemeteries, has a sign or plaque in the Polish language mentioning the Holocaust. Reached by turning directly off a public road, access is open to all. A continuous fence with a non-locking gate surrounds the cemetery. Size before WWII and now is.51 ha. 1 to 20 The sandstone finely smoothed and Hebrew inscribed gravestones, none in original location, date from the 19th and 20th centuries. Stones removed from the cemetery were incorporated into roads, miscellaneous residences in town, or base of a monument. The cemetery contains special memorial monument to Holocaust victims. No known mass graves. The Municipality owns the property is now used for Jewish cemetery and recreation. Properties adjacent are recreational and agricultural. Private visitors stop rarely. It was vandalized during World War II but not in the last ten years. There was some fixing of wall and gate. In 1986-1989, a monument constructed of of 8 stone fragments was erected at the site. There is no care.
For survey information, see Goraj I.